Wisconsin's 'White Castle Nerd' Earns Hall Of Fame Bid His Own Way

LAKE WISSOTA, WI — Levi Hunt has never been one to follow the crowd, choosing instead to create his own path while trying to bring a smile to anyone he can in the process.

So, if you ask the 44-year-old electrician about his long-time fascination with White Castle, the fast-food burger chain known for its sliders, he will tell a story that is uniquely his. Now, that tale includes an induction into the restaurant’s Cravers Hall of Fame, which recently unveiled its 2022 Class that includes Hunt — who represents Wisconsin, even though the state boasts only one location in Kenosha.

Hunt’s White Castle connection begins with the family members he would visit in suburban Chicago as far back as he can remember. Hunt would make the trip every Thanksgiving, which meant he could enjoy some sliders, which his cousins would also bring to Wisconsin when they visited over the summer. While Hunt’s White Castle experience was limited to begin with, he made a habit of visiting the chain’s website to grab up merchandise, adding to his role as a self-proclaimed “White Castle Nerd."

Now, his reign includes a Hall of Fame nod two years after he says he first contacted White Castle officials with a story he believed was too good to pass up. He added a White Castle slider tattoo for good measure, which only adds to the legend of a man who proudly represents a fast-food joint that is nowhere close to his home.

“I would just be that dork who would wear White Castle stuff just to get a laugh out of everybody,” Hunt told Patch on Wednesday. “I would incorporate White Castle in everything I did.”

He added: “But I was never aware a blue-collar electrician from Wisconsin could be involved in their Hall of Fame.”

Hunt, who is an artist on the side, has taken his fandom of a burger joint not named Culver's to another level. Besides the tattoo, he owns countless pieces of White Castle-themed clothing and when his 3-year-old daughter was born, he placed her inside a slider case as opposed to following a more traditional path and having her photographed inside a bassinet.

Hunt first petitioned to join the Cravers Hall of Fame during White Castle’s 100th Anniversary celebration. But even before making his case, Hunt believes he has been on the chain’s radar for a while now, after tagging White Castle in photos and becoming an unofficial influencer on social media. In exchange for his social media posts, White Castle would send Hunt free merchandise, further driving his loyalty to the brand.

Before the chain started putting their sliders into retail stores' frozen section, Hunt began visiting his family in suburban Chicago more often, adding to the frequency he was able to enjoy the sliders he became so fond of as a kid.

Despite the fact White Castle has only one Wisconsin location, Hunt is proud to represent the state in the 11-member 2022 Hall of Fame class, which also has members from New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, Ohio, Vermont, New Jersey and Michigan.

"Cravers Hall of Fame day is a magical day for us here at White Castle," Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle, said in a news release announcing the 2022 class. "We love to see the group grow, and every year our 10,000 team members are nourished and humbled by the amazing stories our inductees share. We hear something new every time, and it means so much to know how people connect with our family business through some of the most memorable moments in their lives."

But Hunt’s induction also follows what has been a rough few years. Hunt had a heart attack in 2018, and while hospitalized was diagnosed with leukemia. He underwent chemotherapy and went into remission before falling out of remission during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunt told Patch.

He said that White Castle has become a bright spot and his geekdom over the slider chain has helped to bring happiness not only to himself but to those around him. Now that he is a Hall of Famer, a second White Castle tattoo is in the works, paying homage not only to White Castle but an addition to his “temporary earth suit” that reminds him of things that matter in his life.

Fast-food chains and all.

“If it gets a laugh out of somebody, then I guess it has meaning,” Hunt told Patch. “We live in kind of a crummy world nowadays, and if you can get someone to smile or laugh, then I guess I’m doing my job here.”

Since being inducted into the Craver Hall of Fame this month, Hunt says he has gotten nothing but love and support from those who have seen his stories. He has done television interviews in Chicago as a homage to his earliest White Castle memories but says he hopes his story can inspire others to find meaning in the things they want to embrace rather than being like everyone else.

Now cancer-free for the second time, Hunt owns his White Castle fandom completely. At first, it allowed him to keep his mind off his cancer diagnosis, but now, he just wants to make people smile while adding to a life journey that he says has been enriched by a popular bite-sized burger.

But in typical Levi Hunt fashion, he is doing it his own way.

“I’m just trying to express myself and do something that no one else is doing,” Hunt told Patch on Wednesday. “I’m like a self-proclaimed trailblazer. There's a great quote in a movie, ‘It’s never too early to start beefing up your obituary’ and I never knew this would be so literal. But I just started beefing up my own obituary.’”